Category Archives: Vegetarian

Baked Vegetable Casserole

So this is how it went down…i was asked to make a vegetable side dish for the family I cook for and I easily could’ve gone for a nice green bean saute or some lemon broccolini but nooooo, I went for this!

I had been wanting to make this ever since I ran across it on Pinterest. Then recently a friend posted it on Facebook so I took it as a sign that I needed to make this. I loved it because it was so pretty and I like pretty food. Today was the day!!

I got to break out the mandolin and chopped these veggies in a matter of minutes. I always feel like such a professional bad ass when I use it 🙂

They already look pretty and I hadn’t even put it in the oven yet. The only veggies besides the diced onion that I didn’t use the mandolin for was the tomato because it’s just too fragile so my knife worked just fine for me.

Before you line up all the pretty colors, saute a diced onion with a little garlic and put in the bottom of the baking dish.

Now, the fun part. I alternated the veggies to make them all pretty. I had some grape tomatoes in the fridge that wanted to be part of the party so in they went too. After I took the picture below, I generously sprinkles salt, pepper and a teaspoon of dried thyme.

Bake at 400 for 30 minutes, COVERED in foil. Remove from oven, top with as little or as much mozzarella as you want. Use vegan cheese if that’s your thing. I only used 1 cup of shredded mozzarella.

Put back in oven UNCOVERED for another 15 – 20 minutes depending on how hot your oven runs. Check it at 15 minutes. The cheese should be browned a little bit.

This is probably my new favorite vegetable dish. There are so many good ones but since I can’t stop thinking about this one right now, it’s the new favorite :).

Oh, and this is Miss Bella Boo. She keeps me company when I’m whipping up kitchen masterpieces. I’m a lucky Bunny <3

Place cooked onion and garlic in the bottom of your greased baking dish.

Arrange your veggies according to whatever color pattern you choose.

Once you have created your veggie masterpiece, sprinkle a generous amount of salt and pepper over the top. I used about 1½ teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Then sprinkle the teaspoon of dried thyme.

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove foil and sprinkle with cheese or no cheese. Either way, uncover and place back in oven for another 15 - 20 minutes. Start checking at 15 minutes to make sure it doesn't burn.

First, chop those veggies. That’s the hardest part. I used by mini food processor for the carrots.

Heat the olive oil and add the onions. Saute for a few minutes, add garlic, saute for another minute. Then add your carrots, red bell pepper, sweet potato, tomato and cauliflower. Stir to combine and then partially cover pan and cook for 8 – 9 minutes, stirring occasionally. Partially covering the pot lets the veggies steam and soften better.

Next, add chickpeas, pumpkin and all of the spices. Combine thoroughly. Then finally add the coconut milk and water, combine with the veggie mixture. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 20 – 25 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. You’ll know it’s done once all your veggies are cooked. The longer you let it simmer, the thicker it will get so go by your preference.

I served mine with some cooked wheat berries. Eat it plain or top some quinoa or brown rice or any other ancient grain you prefer.

Pumpkin Pie Quinoa Coconut Milk Dessert

A friend of mine posted this recipeand I immediately knew I was going to make it in the very near future. Well, today was that day. I was craving something sweet but healthy. This totally did it for me. I just changed a couple of ingredients but I’m sure the original recipe is just as fantastic.

This sweet filling treat is also dairy free, gluten free, paleo, vegan and has loads of protein. Hullo!! Next variation will be made with cocoa powder so it resembles coco wheats!! Add some strawberries to that and whoa nelly, you’ve got a chocolate covered strawberry superstar!! Sorry, I’m usually one recipe ahead of myself. Back to this delicious recipe….

Lets run down the ingredient line up here and you’ll see why I’m so jacked up about this treat.

The 1/2 cup of pumpkin has 3.5 grams of fiber and 1.5 grams of protein

The quinoa has 6 grams of fiber and 12 grams of protein. 12!!

The 2 tablespoons of flax seed has almost 6 grams of fiber and almost 4 grams of protein

Getting excited yet? That’s not even the best part. It’s DUH-LICIOUS!

Plus it’s super easy. You are heating stuff up and stirring it. So exercise your stirring hand and make this deliciously filling healthy treat!

How To Pick The Sweetest Watermelon

This might be common knowledge to most people but I did not know this about picking the sweetest watermelon. I figured that since I didn’t know, maybe there someone else that needed this colossally delicious information.

Picture this: it’s a hot summer day, sweat dripping down your face and all you can think about is a nice big juicy sweet piece of watermelon. Natures ultimate candy. You get your big ole piece, bite into it and IT TASTES LIKE CRAP! Your whole summer-vibe bubble is burst.

I vowed, NEVER AGAIN!! I did a little research and a few experiments and the results were insanely successful. Every single time we have used this criteria in picking a watermelon, it’s been spot on. No more skunky watermelon!

It’s really very simple once you know. Almost too simple actually. But it makes perfect sense.

You want a watermelon that has a big yellow creamy spot on it. If the spot is white or non-existent, it’s under ripe. The dark yellow creamy spot is called the ‘field spot’ because that’s where the watermelon was resting in the field ripening on the vine. The yellow spot indicates that it was ripening on the vine a good long time.

Pick up the watermelon. Is it heavier than you think it should be for its size? That’s what you want. If you have 2 of the same size watermelons, you want the heaviest of them.

The best ones are also uniformly shaped. Weird lumps and bumps may be a sign that it didn’t get consistent sun and/or water.

There you have it. We usually go with the “yellow spot rule” first and foremost and have not been steered wrong once. We get amazingly sweet ripe watermelons every single time.

Sweet and Spicy Brussels Sprouts and Quinoa

I know, I know brussels sprouts aren’t everyone’s bag but I LURVVVVV them. There, I said it. That felt good. I like em plain with some ghee (butter) or fancy schmancy like this easy recipe.

I went to Sunday morning outdoor yoga this morning, took a beautiful walk with my doggie friend Truman then came home and whipped up this bad boy. I was actually craving brussels sprouts if you can believe it.

First I just trimmed up a pound of fresh organic sprouts and rinsed them really good and grated a little fresh ginger. While I was trimming up the sprouts and grating my ginger, I toasted the walnuts. By the time the nuts were nice and fragrant, my sprouts and ginger were ready for the pan. I’m all about multi-tasking. Note to self: next time I make this I’m going to chop up the brussels sprouts into smaller pieces. No reason in particular, I just like smaller pieces.

After the nuts toasted up nicely, I set them aside and heated up the coconut oil in the same pan. Then I added the brussels sprouts and ginger. Stirring frequently, I sauteed the sprouts until lightly browned.

Next I added the remaining ingredients except for the walnuts. Sauteed on low for 5 – 10 minutes until the liquid cooked off and thickened up coating everything.

Lastly, toss in your walnuts and give it a gentle stir. After making these, maybe you’ll crave brussels sprouts too because these ain’t your grandmas brussels sprouts. I love the mix of textures from the crunchy walnuts and quinoa. These would be great to bring for a holiday dinner or pot luck too.

½ cup cooked quinoa (I used a pre-cooked quinoa from Trader Joes but you can make your own too)

¼ cup vegetable broth

2 Tablespoons coconut oil

1 Tablespoon raw honey

1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice

2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1 teaspoon sriracha sauce (or more if you like a lot of heat)

1 teaspoon coconut aminos (can sub with soy sauce)

Instructions

If making your own quinoa, start cooking it first and by the time you need it, it will be finished. But if you are using pre-cooked quinoa like I did from Trader Joes, just heat it in the microwave and set aside until needed.

In a dry skillet, toast walnuts on medium heat. Stir often and toast for about 5 minutes until nice and fragrant. (While the walnuts are toasting, you can trim and wash your brussels sprouts and grate your ginger.)

In the same pan that you used for the walnuts, heat coconut oil, add brussels sprounts and ginger on medium-high heat. Brown brussels sprouts slightly (about 5 minutes), stirring occasionally.

Add the remaining ingredients (including quinoa) except for the walnuts.

Saute on low for 5 - 10 minutes. You want to cook off most of the liquid and thicken it up so that the sauce coats everything nicely.